Music is Going to the Dogs

Margaret got a dog.



Music is Going to the Dogs

1. Pulp, "Dogs Are Everywhere"
2. Led Zeppelin, "Black Dog"
3. The Stooges, "I Wanna Be Your Dog"
4. John Lee Hooker, "No More Doggin'"
5. Rufus Thomas, "Walking the Dog"
6. Elvis Presley, "Hound Dog"
7. Johnny Cash, "Dirty Old Egg-Suckin' Dog"
8. The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, "Chicken Dog"
9. Aerosmith, "Sick as a Dog"
10. Neil Young, "Old King"
11. Harry Nilsson, "Me and My Arrow"
12. Snoop Dogg, "Doggy Dogg World"
13. The Magnetic Fields, "Fido, Your Leash is Too Long"
14. Warren Zevon, "Even a Dog Can Shake Hands"
15. Tom Waits, "Rain Dogs"
16. Bob Dylan, "If Dogs Run Free"
17. Modest Mouse, "Wild Packs of Family Dogs"
18. Guided by Voices, "Bulldog Skin"
19. Robert Johnson, "Hellhound on My Trail"
20. Nick Drake, "Black Eyed Dog"
21. TV on the Radio, "Love Dog"
22. David Bowie, "Diamond Dogs"
23. George Clinton, "Atomic Dog"

Margaret knows more about music than nearly anyone I know, so I'm throwing all the aces in on this one. Elvis, Zeppelin, Bowie and more all competing for the canine ode championship of the world, tackling a rock theme that dates back to the earliest blues pioneers, two of whom appear here. Of course "Atomic Dog" was a must, which somehow I didn't already own. I ended up throwing my music cred out the window by procuring "Atomic Dog" through the 10 Things I Hate About You soundtrack, which is now apparently the easiest way to legally pick up George Clinton's biggest solo hit.

This mix's MVP might be Rufus Thomas, who not only provides one of the best songs here but sticks around to thrash with the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. Then again, I've also included pop music's doggiest figure, represented by his doggiest song ever. Like Iggy Pop before him, Snoop just wants to be a dog. Who can blame him?

At risk of understatement, dogs bring out some some strange emotions in people, from the heartwarming "Old King" to the grouchy "Dirty Old Egg-Suckin' Dog" to Warren Zevon's best Springsteen impression. Then there's Bob Dylan with "If Dogs Run Free," his weirdest song ever. If Tom Waits recorded it, we'd think he was playing a character, but since it's Bob most people probably assume he was stoned.